What I Wish I Did NOT Pack After 2 Months of Living on a Boat in the Caribbean

Hello all! your favorite guest blogger Catherine here! Once again I’m here to offer you some insight into boat life living from a landlubber perspective.  After my last post on what I packed for my 2+ month long journey aboard Adrenaline, I thought I’d follow up with a look at what items I have found to be of least use on a boat. I have come to learn that the saying, “you can never be over-prepared”  does not hold the same weight (wink) when packing for a boat trip. In fact, it’s all the extra weight that comes with over prepared packing that could cause you the most stress.

I was given stern instruction by the captain to pack as light as possible before boarding ship. Seeing as I am the little sister of the captain himself, It’s simply not in my nature to obey my older brother’s orders without resisting every temptation to blatantly ignore his “words of wisdom”. Though I did my very best not to pack anything I was sure I didn’t need, I quickly became aware that some of the “must-have” items in my luggage have proven to be less than necessary. To save yourself from any regret and in my case, brotherly condescension, I’d like to share with you some of the very items that cause me to roll my eyes every time I see them cluttering my cabin. 

Too many Books

I know I know, it sounds ridiculous that a gal who claims to be aware of the importance of carrying as little weight aboard as possible decides to bring a library’s worth of books and journals. Just hear me out! This journey was supposed to be my life’s awakening, my road to Mecca, the trip that would  turn a girl into a STRONG. INDEPENDENT. WOMAN. How was I supposed to know that two months in I would have yet to crack open a single page into one of the many self discovery inspired books I just HAD to bring? I had no doubt in my mind that I would be feverishly recording daily reflections and the anecdotal scenarios that would inevitably lead to monumental personal growth and development. Who would have thunk that those very Moleskine® notebooks that I had planned on utilizing on a daily basis would go untouched? If you know me, don’t answer that. 

Solution:

All kidding aside, I do love my fair share of reading and find it to be a great way to wind down. With that being said, you don’t necessarily have to carry around the extra bulk for a good read. Once I got to Grenada I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there are several marinas that offer a sort-of book exchange station. The concept is simple: leave a book of your own that no longer sparks any joy on the shelf (buh-bye The Power of Yes).  In exchange you can take any book that strikes your fancy (Helloo murder mystery). Though the options are sometimes limited, it’s a great opportunity to pick up something you wouldn’t normally read.

Another option that I highly, HIGHLY recommend would be investing in a kindle. About a month ago Billy and Sierra spent a week at the Annapolis boat show while I stayed with Jetty in Grenada. For some absolutely unnecessary but incredibly generous reason they wanted to thank me for taking care of their pup and gifted me with my very own kindle!  I can’t tell you how grateful I am! It truly is the perfect alternative for boating book lovers who don’t want the hassle of storing books on their boats. Oh and did I mention you have access to pretty much every book.      

Too many sweatshirts and warm clothing.

It may sound silly that one would pack a surplus of warm clothing on their way down to the Caribbean, but in my defense I get sooooo cold!  I’ve grown up on the water and have experienced a whole array of temperatures in a single summer day of boating. This one is a little tricky because on the one hand the initial thought is that it’s good to be prepared in case any unpredictable weather hits, but on the other hand, this is a scenario where, once again, being over-prepared may weigh you down, literally. In my experience, there’s absolutely no need to go overboard(lol) on the amount of warm clothing you bring when you are certain the majority of the temp will be consistently hot. I can honestly say that I have yet to find any use for my three sweatshirts and two pairs of sweatpants thus far. So until the next Caribbean cold front hits, they will continue to sit in my hull collecting salt and mold #boatlife.

Maybe just the perfect sweatshirt…

Solution:

That’s not to say that you should completely neglect preparing for unexpected weather conditions.  My suggestion would simply be more mindful of how you do so and realistically look at the chances of you actually finding yourself freezing weather.

One light windbreaker/rain jacket that can easily be compacted. Rather than bringing heavy sweatshirts and jackets, it would have made more sense for me to bring light clothing  items that I could layer. That way I’d be taking up less space, and would actually have use for them on hot days while also being prepared in case any unexpected weather came into play. Lighter clothing items aren’t just great to have on boats because they’re, well, light, they’re ideal because if they get wet (and they will) they dry much faster than your typical hoodie.

Jeans

I won’t lie, I practically live in my denim shorts. There’s just something about their ability to match with everything that make them the perfect staple. With that being said, I don’t necessarily encourage following my lead in bringing  5 pairs of the heavy, anti moisture-wicking, denim material, on a boat. Similar to the warm clothing items I mentioned before, they add extra weight. Also, seeing as you’ll be on a boat they’ll get wet and won’t have a chance to dry properly. You’re then stuck walking around carrying that gross mildew smell everywhere you go. You know THAT smell I’m talking about. Don’t be that person. As far as your favorite long blue jean goes… I think you know the answer.

My advice:

Lighter denim. If I had the chance to do it over I’d probably bring one or two pairs of jean shorts at most and then switch out my other pairs with either linen or light athletic shorts. after all, they are much more comfy!

AirPods

Something I never considered when packing was keeping the amount of even the lighter, more compact items at a minimum. With limited storage space, it is so easy to lose track of the smaller items. Trust me when I say it can be extremely overwhelming trying to crawl, climb, and dig through every little hiding spot on a boat. If adrenaline has taught me anything, it’s that she possesses quite a few hiding spots that aren’t particularly fun to seek out when she’s rocking with the motion of the ocean. 

One of these smaller items that I sadly had to accept would be of no use to me in boat life living were my air pods. These 1.34 ounces of luxury have been stowed away in my cabin for the entirety of my time here. On land these things are incredible. Love them, can’t recommend them enough. On a boat not so much. Seeing as I already lost two pairs of sunglasses, a pair of sneakers, and have another sneaker floating down the Grand Etang Waterfalls as we speak, There is no way I plan on letting these babies out of my hull like I originally thought I would. Its not worth the risk. Even when you’re not concerned with one falling out of your ear and directly into water, you’ll find that they’re so easy to misplace. There are so many moving parts on a boat (literally and figuratively) that you have to keep track of that the last thing you need to worry about is what the heck you did with your pesky $100+ glorified ear plugs.

Solution:

Either stick with the cheap, generic headphones that usually come with most apple devices, or you can invest in a pair of wireless headphones that go over the ear. Sierra has a pair of Kove noise cancelling over-ear headphones and she LOVES them. These are especially great if you get tired of your fellow crew mates and want to cancel them out.. NOT that anyone aboard Adrenaline relates to that!

Makeup:

I hesitated to even include this one down because it’s so laughable to imagine I ever thought I’d need as much makeup as I brought. Embarrassing really. One of the best things about living on a boat is that you’re surrounded by other cruisers who completely understand what the life is like. The standards of beauty are no way even close to how unrealistic they are on land in the states. If you have ever felt inclined to go au natural (what woman hasn’t?) nows the perfect chance to embrace your face and and be free of any fear of judgements from others.

Solution:

It’s definitely nice to feel your best and if makeup helps you to do so, by all means go for it!  if the majority of your time is spent on the water I’d suggest getting a CC cream that also acts as an extra layer of sun protection. A  tinted sunblock is another option that will provide you with minimal coverage . The only other product I have used since being here has been the occasional swipe of mascara which can be risky considering you’ll be surrounded by water and there’s more than a good chance that you’ll end up looking like you have two black eyes by the end of a day on the water. 

This is one of the few makeup products I don’t regret packing! It’s the absolute best, and a little goes a long way.

Before I say my farewells, I will say that all the items I (over)packed do serve important purposes, however these purposes can be availed with products that are more realistic to this crazy way of living. I would be forever grateful if you wouldn’t mind sharing this article with your friends, especially if they are thinking about going on a charter or a boat trip in the Caribbean or any other warm climates. 🙂

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